Report: Jamestown, other local sites severely threatened by climate change

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A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists says Jamestown is likely to be completely submerged by the end of the century.

The report lists 30 locations that the union believes are at risk due to climate change, locally including not only Jamestown, but also Fort Monroe, NASA Langley Research Center, NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Smithsonian.com spoke with Adam Markham, Director of Clime Impacts for the UCS. He said, “Most communities in America have some kind of historic site. These are places that people have heard about, they visit, or they want to visit. These are places that people either know about, or have seen or care about.”

Jamestown is one of the oldest sites on the list. The report says the waters around the colony have been rising at twice the global average rate. Shoreline erosion and groundwater extraction beneath the colony are causing it to slip lower towards sea level.

In the past, researchers and archaeologists have chosen to leave artifacts in the ground for future generations to excavate. But with the threat of losing them, they’re forced to reconsider their excavation options before the artifacts are gone forever.

“I think climate change is going to transform the way that people think about managing archeological and cultural resources over the next couple of decades,” Markham said to Smithsonian.com.